Happy Birthday To Sid The Kid

Today Sid turns 13. Thirteen years ago yesterday, I was 9 days before my "due date", dressed like Shamu in my black Jersey knit maternity jumpsuit over a huge white maternity shirt and absolutely miserable. It was one day after Christmas and I couldn't take being pregnant another minute. Giving up any pretense of dignity I spent the day waddling around a museum downtown with Pie and then came home to eat an entire cheese ball myself, without even a thought to an exit strategy. (I remember the cheese ball was an odd shade of orange/red with walnuts all over it. Of course I hate walnuts, but really, what did it matter at that point?) At six in the evening I announced to anyone listening--we were living in my parent's basement at the time--that I would be swigging down 3 tablespoons of castor oil and then letting nature take its course. By midnight I was pretty sure I regretted the castor oil. At six a.m. I realized I was actually in labor and we got to the hospital at around 11.


I remember Pie being really excited that the TV in my room had ESPN. I was absolutely fine with him watching it, providing he said absolutely nothing while I labored. I know, he's supposed to be my coach. But you know what? I knew in my heart of hearts I didn't want him or anybody else cheering me on as I breathed, etc. I just wanted him to hold my hand. Sometime after I really started contracting but before I was given the most blessed and perfect epidural of my whole pregnant life, I came to the realization that Pie needed to stand up whenever I had a contraction and look at me. I don't know why I needed him to do that, I just knew it was the only way I was going to be able to carry on. He was brilliant at it. Just standing and looking. Maybe he was peeking out of the corner of his eye at the game, I don't know. My eyes were squeezed shut. But if he was peeking, he did a really good job of not letting on.


At 7:04 on the 27 of December after an epidural and a most welcome nap, Sidney Daniel Konchar was born, 6 lbs. 12 oz. with a full head of dark hair. He was really cute. We liked him immediately. He was a snuggler from the beginning, but it took him two weeks to decide that he actually would care for a little something to eat (drink). We weren't expecting him to be so tiny--I mean that cheese ball I ate was roughly an eighth of his total body weight. I had gained a very uncomfortable and unflattering 55 lbs. with him and when they announced his weight I immediately thought "Seriously! You couldn't have spotted me even one more pound?" But as they say, it was worth it. Sid has been the typical first kid, teasing the children and demanding they do his bidding while he babysits. But really, somewhere beneath that crabby new teen exterior is the same sweet snugly boy we met 13 years ago with big eyes open wide, just watching it all.






Happy Birthday, Sid.